What’s next in the Kylian Mbappe-PSG-Real Madrid soap opera? Premium

With the French superstar emerging largely unscathed from a contract stand-off with the Paris club, he appears to have his destiny in his hands. The saga may end in January, when potential free agents can sign pre-contracts with new clubs. But matters are still far from straightforward

Kylian Mbappe first caught Real Madrid’s attention when he was just 13. 

Zinedine Zidane, Madrid’s sporting director at the time, heard accounts of the prodigy and wanted to check if the hype was real. “My father received a call from someone at Real Madrid, inviting me to Spain for a training session,” Mbappe told The Players’ Tribune. “It was a shock because they actually told my father, ‘Zidane would like to see your son.’”

Madrid has continued to court Mbappe — twice failing with bids to sign him — and the pursuit has turned into a saga during the superstar’s recent years at Paris Saint-Germain. Some of the world’s richest people and organisations, as well as heads of state, have added to the intrigue. 

The 24-year-old reportedly agreed a financial package with both Madrid and PSG last year before French President Emmanuel Macron intervened to urge Mbappe to stay in Paris. 

But not long after, the story emerged in Spanish sports daily Marca and several French outlets that Mbappe wanted to leave PSG as soon as possible. He reportedly felt “betrayed” by the club, disappointed that promises made to him when he signed his new contract, pertaining to the signing of top talent to target the Champions League, had not been kept.

Mbappe is PSG’s all-time leading scorer, but has never won the Champions League. He also has his sights set on becoming a Ballon d’Or winner like compatriot Karim Benzema, who grew into a talismanic figure at Madrid before moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer.

When Mbappe called PSG “a divisive team, a divisive club” in an interview with France Football magazine earlier this year, without elaborating, it was clear that things were coming to a head.